Minecraft Particle Command Tutorial (Updated 1.21 + )

Everybody, it’s UnderMyCap, and welcome back to another video. Today, I’m going to show you how to use the /particle command in the new Minecraft update. Let’s get straight into it.

The Basic /particle Command

First, let’s start with the basic command to summon a particle. You don’t need much to begin—just the /particle command and the name of a particle.

For example, if I run the particle angry_villager, you’ll notice it spawns at my feet.

Spawning Particles Somewhere Else (Offset)

If you want to spawn the particle somewhere else, you can add three position values after the particle name. These create a relative position for where the particle will appear.

For example, if I change the relative Y value to 2, the particle will spawn two blocks above where I’m standing.

Using a Command Block for Testing

To make this easier to see, let’s use a command block. I’m going to place one down and type a basic particle command we’ve already learned, like a flame particle, spawning one block above.

Now I’ll set the command block to Repeat and Always Active, so you can clearly see the particle constantly spawning one block above the command block.

Customizing Particles with Arguments

The particle command has a lot of customization options through additional arguments. These let you change things like spread, speed, and count.

Delta (Spread)

Delta is basically the spread of the particles. There are three values: X, Y, and Z. They look kind of like coordinates, but they are not coordinates. Don’t treat them like coordinates or your command won’t behave the way you expect. Minecraft might autofill coordinates for you, but in this case, these values represent spread.

After adding delta values, you’ll also need to fill out the remaining arguments before the command will work properly.

Speed

Speed controls how fast the particle effect moves. If you set speed to 0, the particles will not move. If you increase the speed, the particles will start moving much more aggressively.

Count

Count controls how many particles spawn per tick. For example, setting the count to 10 makes it much easier to see what’s going on.

If we set delta to 1 1 1, you’ll see the particles spread out across that range. It may not look like a perfect “one-block” spread, because the distribution is based on a mathematical pattern—there tend to be more particles near the center and fewer near the outer edge.

If you want something closer to a clean, full-block-looking spread, you can try a smaller value (for example, around 0.125) to get a tighter, nicer shape.

If you crank up the speed, the particles will go crazy. If you keep the speed at zero, they’ll stay still. And if you raise the count too high, it can get overwhelming very quickly.

Particle Display Modes: Force vs Normal

The next part of the command is the mode: force or normal. They may look similar, but they behave very differently.

Force will make the particles display no matter what. Even if a player has particles turned down or off in their settings, force will still make them see the particles.

Normal respects the player’s particle settings. If the player disables particles (or reduces them heavily), the particle effect may not show at all.

Practical Uses for Particles

If you’re not sure what to use particles for, there are tons of great options. You can use particles for ambient effects, atmosphere, and environmental details.

Example: Dripping Tap Effect

For example, you can create a dripping tap effect with a command block by using a basic particle command and adding a small offset. It’s easy to set up, and it looks really cool.

Example: Ambient Areas

You can also use delta (spread) to create a large ambient area—like a misty zone, a magical area, or even subtle weather-like effects. You can adjust the height and spread to make areas look much cooler and more alive.

Making a Particle Trail on Players

You’ve probably seen people with particle trails following their character. You can do this using the /execute command. I’ll make a newer video on this, but I’ll also leave my older one in the description.

The basic idea is to execute a particle command at each player. For example, you can run a totem particle at every player with a small delta like 0.1, speed 0, and count 1, using force. This creates a simple trail effect that follows the player around.

Final Thoughts

That’s basically the particle command. Even though it looks complicated at first, it’s not actually that hard once you understand what each argument does.

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